Softball Wins North Division With Road Victory at Harvard

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – The Dartmouth softball team claimed the Ivy League North Division for the first time since 2009 with a road victory at Harvard on Sunday (April 28). The Big Green victory sends them to the Ivy League Championship Series against Penn May 4-5.

The Big Green used some excellent pitching from Morgan McCalmon (Norman, Okla.) and some big hits to take a 5-4 eight-inning win over Harvard to claim the North Division on Sunday (April 28).

Dartmouth (24-18, 14-5 Ivy) struck first using a Hillary Hubert (Grant Park, Ill.) double in the first inning to open the Big Green offense. Katie McEachern (San Diego, Calif.) kept things going in the next at bat with a double of her own, which scored Hubert and gave Dartmouth the early 1-0 advantage.

Harvard took a 2-1 lead after scoring two runs in the second inning. A leadoff single from Adrienne Hume, coupled with a stolen base, put a runner in scoring position. The first run came across on a Emily Gusse double and the next run on a sacrifice fly.

Dartmouth matched the Crimson run-for-run and tied the game in the third with an RBI single from Alex St. Romain (Chatham, N.J.) which scored McEachern, who reached with a double to left center.

Both teams scored runs in the fourth inning, tying the game at 3-3. Harvard took a 4-3 lead on a Kasey Lange home run, her second of the series, in the fifth which set up the Big Green comeback.

After a scoreless sixth inning, St. Romain, nailed a leadoff single to third base. Senior Katie Adams (Kent, Wash.) followed with a single up the middle, placing a runner in scoring position. With two outs, Megan Averitt (Alameda, Calif.) single to third and Kristen Rumley (Katy, Texas) nailed an RBI single to score Kelsey Miller(Mansfield, Texas) and tie the game.

McCalmon used two strikeouts to keep the Crimson off the board in the seventh, forcing extra innings.

McEachern wasted no time putting a run on the board in the eighth, hitting her team-best 10th home run. McCalmon hit a single through the left side and Miller reached on a fielder’s choice but Dartmouth couldn’t send anyone else around the bases to extend its lead.

McCalmon sealed the North Division for the Big Green with three strikeouts in the eighth inning, ending Harvard’s three-year run as North Division champions. McCalmon was stellar in the circle with a career-best 10 strikeouts in five innings of work allowing just one run.

The win was a total team effort with 14 hits led by three hits from Hubert and McEachern. McEachern also rounded the bases twice to lead the Big Green.

The Big Green softball team wrapped up a doubleheader sweep of Harvard with a 13-1 five-inning win over the Crimson to win the series.

The Crimson took the early 1-0 lead with a run in the first inning but that was the only run that Harvard would score.

Dartmouth used a 4-0 second inning to blow the game wide open. McEachern reached on a walk, and a single from McCalmon put two runners on base. In the next at bat, Adams belted a three-run home run to give Dartmouth a 3-0 lead. Hits from Miller and Morgan Wharton (Binghamton, N.Y.) scored Miller and put the Big Green in the drivers seat.

Adams had the hot bat as she added a second home run in the third inning scoring two more runs. She joined classmate Hubert as the lone Big Green players to hit multiple home runs in a game.

The Big Green added three more runs in the fourth inning and added four runs in the fifth inning to seal the doubleheader sweep.

McCalmon again starred in the circle, throwing 3.0 innings of work. She fanned six batters and allowed just one earned run. Alex Jarvis (Tustin, Calif.) also pitched 2.0 innings with two strikeouts and allowing just one hit.

In an offensive outpouring, Dartmouth scored 13 runs on 13 hits with 10 RBI. Adams led the way going 3-of-3 from the plate with three runs and five RBI.

The Big Green concludes the regular-season with 25 wins, the most since 2002 and its second North Division title. The Big Green's 15 Ivy League wins is a program record.

The Big Green will travel to Penn for the Ivy League Championship series. Dartmouth and Penn will square off in doubleheader action beginning at 1 p.m. on Saturday (May 4) and will play on Sunday (May 5) if necessary. The winner of the Ivy League Championship Series will earn the Ivy League’s automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament